Fire Princess
by Tatsuyana
Summary: Rin always had two secrets. One she knew she wasn't supposed to know and one only she knew. Now, with her adoptive father entering her into True Cross Academy alongside her twin brother, those secrets might no longer be possible to keep. Fem!Rin, smart!Rin, ShimaRin, RenRin, Shima x Rin.
1. Prologue

First, I apologise to those, who are waiting for me to finish my other stories or for sequels. I just have no inspiration for those stories at the moment. I will try to finish them one day, just not sure when (A bad habit, I know. I swear it annoys me as much as it annoys my readers). So for now, I have decided to start this and hopefully, I will manage to finish this one. The updates might take some time depending on how much else I have to do.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Ao no Exorcist. All characters (except of course for possible OCs) belong to _Katō Kazue._

_Warnings:_ This story will be Shima Renzō x female Okumura Rin. It _might_ develop into a Shima brothers x Rin depending on what my mind decides to cook up. **In this story Rin is smart and knows how to control her powers, so beware of possible Mary Sue!** I'll try to avoid turning Rin into a Mary Sue, but I'm warning you anyway in case I fail. I don't really like Yukio, but I'll try to refrain from bashing him. Can't guarantee anything, though. Oh, and no Beta. And last, but not least, beware of OoC! So read at your own risk. If you don't like any of them, then **press the back button. NOW!**

"Speaking"  
"_Thoughts_"  
"**Demon Telepathy**"

Otherwise Enjoy!

* * *

_**Prologue**_

* * *

It was a rather chilly day in late March and the new school year was about to start. Well, the normal school year wouldn't start for another week, but for a few teenagers, the new school year was going to start today. Two of these teenagers were a pair of twins at the age of fifteen. The younger twin was already waiting outside with their adoptive father in front of the monastery that was their home.  
"Why does Nī-san have to come along? I thought we agreed to keep this all a secret for his own safety", the twin voiced. This matter had been on his mind ever since their father had informed them, that his twin would be coming along to True Cross Academy. Their father, Fujimoto Shirō, let out a heavy sigh.  
"It wasn't an easy decision, but with the current activity in this area, Rin's safety cannot be guaranteed anymore. It will be much safer at True Cross Academy", Shirō replied gripping the object in his left hand tighter that before and leaving what they both knew to be true unspoken. Sooner or later, the secret would be revealed and **they** would start to hunt Rin and when that time came, the only way for Rin to be prepared was to know what the threat was.

Meanwhile, the older twin was making the last preparations for their departure. She had just finished adjusting her short-haired wig. Grabbing a bunch of bandages, she started to tie down her breasts. They weren't small enough for her to be called flat chested, but they weren't big either. They matched her physic quiet well and were just the right size for bandaging. When her chest was bandaged she passed off as a boy with ease. Her tomboyish behaviour and slightly muscular build certainly helped.  
At first, she was always confused why everyone was referring to her as boy. She never understood it and always tried to tell everyone that she was a girl. Even her own brother, their adoptive father and everyone else at the monastery referred to her as a boy. She would always cry because no one believed her. Most came to think of it as a way for her to gain attention and the people of the monastery simply got used to it.  
Then she had made a discovery shortly after entering elementary school. She stopped trying to convince everyone that she was a girl after that. It was the turning point in her life and the time she started this pretence. All for the sake of her loved ones and partially for her own safety.  
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she finished wrapping her chest. After a final check to make sure that the bandages stayed where they were supposed to be, she dressed in a pair of washed-out jeans, a plain white T-shirt and a grey hoody. A short chant completed the illusion of her looking like an average fifteen-year-old boy. She slipped into her sneakers and shouldered her duffel bag. She took one last look at her bedroom before she made her way out.

Once Rin reached Shirō and Yukio, she noticed the object that was held by Shirō. She stiffened unnoticeably knowing what it meant. She took a deep breath before announcing her presence. Yukio merely nodded at her. Inwardly, Rin winced. When had they started to grow apart? It was probably around the time Yukio had started his exorcist training. Not that they knew that she knew. Shirō cleared his throat to gain the attention of his adoptive children.  
"Rin, I want to give you this", Shirō said holding up the object in his hands. It was a long red cloth wrapped around whatever was inside. He carefully removed the cloth revealing a beautiful sword. Its scabbard was dark blue with silver ornaments. There was also a silver mark on it that strongly resembled a mirrored Om symbol in Siddham script. The hilt had the same dark blue with black diamonds lined up and a yellow string falling from its top.  
"You must always carry this sword with you, but you also must never draw it. Do you understand?" Shirō said in a serious voice holding a deadly edge to it. Rin merely nodded, while her adoptive father placed the sword back into its cloth. Then he held it out for Rin to take. She slowly raised her right hand and grasped the sword feeling a familiar tingling go up her arm. Then she slung it over her shoulder.  
"One last thing. You might not believe me know, but you will once you start cram school. Cram school is going to teach you how to be an exorcist and how to fight demons. Everyone here at the monastery is an exorcist. Your brother is as well. I can't tell you more than this at the moment and I hope you will never have to learn the truth", Shirō told her. Rin of course knew all that already, but she still put on a suspicious look, before shrugging her shoulders with a bored 'whatever'. Before any more conversation could take place, a pink car suddenly pulled up beside them. The door opened and a man wearing a very strange, pink outfit stepped out of the car.  
"Good Morning everyone! How are you on this nice day?" the man shouted causing Rin to flinch slightly due to her enhanced hearing.  
"Right on time, Mephisto. How are you?" Shirō greeted back.  
"Splendid as always. I take it, that this young man is your other son?" Mephisto responded gazing at Rin.  
"I'm Okumura Rin", Rin introduced herself with a small bow figuring she could let a bit of her true personality shine through.  
"Rin, this is Mephisto Pheles, the principal of True Cross Academy. In public he goes by the name Johann Faust V, though", Shirō explained, "He will be your guardian while you're at True Cross Academy."  
"Why don't you two get into the car? I need to talk with your father privately for a moment", Mephisto suggested, though it was more of an order. Rin just shrugged her shoulders and got into the car followed by Yukio, who cast a short glance back.

"So, how much have you told him?" Mephisto asked once he was sure that the twins were out of hearing range.  
"I've told him about the existence of demons and exorcist, but he doesn't seem to believe me. I also explained to him that he must never draw the sword and never let it leave his side", Shirō replied with a small sigh. Mephisto nodded in understanding. They had both agreed, that, while it was better for him to get to know about the world of demons and exorcists, she shouldn't know about her own nature. At least not until they were sure she would be able to handle it mentally and physically.  
"At the moment, he seems to be rather mild-tempered. Don't get me wrong, he is a good kid, kind-hearted and determined, but he also tends to be rash, short-tempered, immature and reckless. He gets into a lot of fights, too. Keep an eye on him", Shirō said.  
"A little trouble-maker in that case", Mephisto chuckled. Shirō joined in not long afterwards. After it died down, they bid each other good-bye and Mephisto joined the two teenagers in the car.

* * *

"Well then, Okumura Rin-kun. Your father has explained the importance of that sword to you, no?" Mephisto broke the silence that had ruled in the car since they had departed. Rin merely nodded in response. The lack of sleep from last night was catching up with her.  
"Good. He also told you about demons and exorcists?" asked Mephisto. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to know, if Rin had paid attention.  
"As if something like that exists, but yeah, he told me", Rin grumbled. Mephisto merely chuckled, while Yukio continue to ignore them in favour of reading his book. Mephisto then tossed a box towards Rin, which she caught. She shot him a questioning look.  
"It's your school uniform", Mephisto replied. Rin opened the box and found, to her relieve, that it was the male version of the uniform. She closed the box and let it rest on her lap. Then she returned her attention to Mephisto, who obviously had more to tell her. She was tossed another object. This time it was a key ring with two keys.  
"Those keys are special keys that allow the crossing of space in an instant. The small key connects to your home and the big key will allow you to get to your cram school classes. They work on any door. Try it out once we reach the academy", Mephisto explained in a singsong voice. Rin merely shrugged again.  
Then he went on explaining that Yukio was a teacher at cram school and various other things, like when cram classes took place and that she would attend normal high-school as well. Again, Rin merely shrugged. Her unusual behaviour was shrugged off by the other two as being overly tired, which she actually was. She didn't get a lot of sleep these past few days since Shirō had told her she would attend True Cross Academy together with Yukio.  
"If there isn't anything else, I would like to catch up on some sleep", Rin grumbled putting an effort in showing her 'delinquent personality'. Without waiting for answer, she curled up on the long seat and let herself be engulfed by a half-asleep state.

* * *

Yahoo! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Constructive critique and reviews are always welcome. I have one question for you. I'm not sure if Rin should tell Mephisto or not and if she does, how much. I'm still trying to figure out an excuse for her to stay at the old dorm (of course without Yukio's supervision). Tell me what you think.

Tatsu out.


	2. Beginnings

Well, here's the next chapter.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Ao no Exorcist. All characters (except of course for possible OCs) belong to _Katō Kazue._

_Warnings:_ This story will be Shima Renzō x female Okumura Rin. It _might_ develop into a Shima brothers x Rin depending on what my mind decides to cook up. **In this story Rin is smart and knows how to control her powers, so beware of possible Mary Sue!** I'll try to avoid turning Rin into a Mary Sue, but I'm warning you anyway in case I fail. I don't really like Yukio, but I'll try to refrain from bashing him. Can't guarantee anything, though. Oh, and no Beta. And last, but not least, beware of OoC! So read at your own risk. If you don't like any of them, then **press the back button. NOW!**

"Speaking"  
"_Thoughts_"  
"**Demon Telepathy**"

Enjoy.

* * *

**_Beginnings_**

* * *

The sudden jolt of the car coming to a halt jerked Rin from her half-sleep. Muttering under her breath, she grabbed onto the back of the seat and pulled herself into a sitting position. She yawned loudly, not bothering to hide it behind her hand.  
"Are we there yet?" she grumbled rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She heard a book being closed with a bit more strength than necessary and assumed her twin was slightly mad at her for her impolite and carefree attitude. She stretched once before taking look outside.  
"Welcome to True Cross Academy", Mephisto announced as her gaze fell upon a large building. "You might want to change into your school uniform."  
Upon hearing that, Rin shot him a glare. Couldn't he have told her that earlier? She wouldn't have really minded being woken up a bit earlier. With an annoyed sigh, she opened the box with her uniform and started stripping.

Thanks to the incantation she had used before their departure, she didn't have to worry about the other two occupants finding out she was a girl. To them, she looked like an average fifteen-year-old boy, who was slightly muscular. She had even added a few fading bruises to the illusion to underline her supposed troublemaker personality. Truth be told, the bandages and wig were merely a safety precaution should her illusion be shattered for some reason.  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yukio collecting his belongings while she put on her uniform. It only took a few minutes for her to dress. Of course, she left her blazer unbuttoned, the tie was loose and the two topmost buttons of the dress-shirt were open. Then she stuffed her other clothes into her duffel bag. She shouldered both the duffel bag and her sword. Mephisto, who had observed her with a smirk the whole time, opened the car door.  
"Well, shall we?" he asked and bowed dramatically. Rin moves past him with huff followed by Yukio, who could only sigh at his sibling's impoliteness. Mephisto, though, seemed to be amused by Rin's behaviour.

* * *

Mephisto's office was more normal than she had expected. Her eyes travelled back to the chairman, who sat behind his desk. She was weary, since he had sent her twin to his dorm after the opening ceremony at which Yukio had held a speech. Then he had led her to his office with one of his keys.  
"Well then", Mephisto spoke up. "I've explained most of the things you need to know. However, since it wasn't originally planned for you to attend True Cross Academy, there is still the issue about your lodging."  
Rin tensed slightly at that. This might be her chance. But she had to be careful. She wasn't sure how much she could trust Mephisto and didn't want him suspicious of her. She needed to think fast, since Mephisto was apparently waiting for her to say something.  
"I don't want to share my room with someone else. I like my privacy", Rin grinded out and hoped it wouldn't sound too suspicious. To her relieve Mephisto merely chuckled like he had expected something along those lines.

While Rin was nervously waiting for his answer, Mephisto mulled over an idea that had just sprung into his head. While Rin had yet to awaken, there would surely be problems when her nature became known to. He recalled his friend saying that Rin could be very short-tempered.  
Negative emotions like anger could accelerate her awakening. Letting her stay in the abandoned dorm would minimize the opportunities for her to clash with others and comply with her wish for privacy. Should she awaken, it would also keep the danger of others finding out about her nature low. Unfortunately, that might also prevent her from making friends.  
"There is an abandoned dorm that used to be the male dorm. If you wish you can stay. You would have the entire dorm to yourself", Mephisto said.  
"Without supervision from Yukio?" Rin asked suspiciously.  
"Without any kind supervision", Mephisto confirmed. As long as there weren't any signs of Rin losing control over her powers, which hadn't even awakened yet, there wasn't any need for supervision in his opinion. Though, he did wonder why she would explicitly mention Yukio. Then again, Shirō had once complained to him that the twins seemed to have grown apart. For now he shrugged it off. He would have enough time to get his answers.  
"Then I have no complaints", Rin answered nonchalantly. Mephisto merely nodded with a smirk and pulled something out of one of his desk's drawers. He threw the object at Rin. She caught it and it turned out to be another key.  
"Attach it to your key ring", Mephisto said as he made his way to his office door. He didn't open the door, though. Rin did as she was told walking over to Mephisto.

Mephisto prompted her to use the key with his office door. Rin raised an eyebrow and put the key she had just received into the keyhole. She turned the key and opened the door. Instead of the corridor, which they had walked through to reach Mephisto's office, the entrance hall of a dorm greeted her. Rin could tell that he was amused by the surprise showing on her face.  
Mephisto didn't wait long and started to show her around. It had a kitchen she could use to cook, it also had two separate baths, which Rin found curious as it was supposed to be a male dormitory, and she had free choice of all the rooms. In the end, she decided on a room on the highest floor with windows facing east.  
It was a double room. Opposite to the door were two desks, a window above each. It had two beds and wardrobes, one of each on the left and right side. It was plain and old, but she liked it already. Once she settled in, she would give the room a personal touch. She threw her duffel bag on the bed to her left opting to unpack after cram school classes. A huge grin made its way onto her face at the thought of living by herself. Yes, she was going to miss her adoptive father, Nagatomo, Izumo, Kyodo and Maruta, but she was also going to enjoy the freedom living alone gave her.  
"As much as it amused me to see your reactions, it is time to go. Your cram school classes start in a few minutes", Mephisto said from his spot beside the open door and transformed into his dog form.  
"Can all exorcist transform?" Rin asked with her mouth open in shock. After all, she wasn't supposed to know.  
"No, I'm a special case. I'm going to stick around to observe your first class. It will be, after all, also your brother's first time teaching", Mephisto replied. Rin wanted to roll her, but instead just grabbed her sword, closed the door with a sigh and used the key for cram school.

* * *

In the end, Rin somehow managed to be late for her first class. Mephisto merely said, his watch apparently lagged a few minutes behind. Rin groaned at that. She felt like he enjoyed causing her trouble. First, not waking her early enough during the car ride and now she was late to class, because he hadn't noticed his watch showing the wrong time. She would feel less annoyed, if she had been late because she had gotten lost. With a sigh she opened the door to her first class.  
The first thing she noticed after stepping into the room were the few people inside. With fifteen desks, three rows at five desks each, the room could hold thirty students, but she only counted nine people. One of them was her younger twin, who stood behind the teacher's desk. Going by his aura, she was sure she was going to get a lecture on being late to her first class afterwards. Her gaze drifted through the room. Pretty much everyone was staring at her.

Two people occupied the three desks in the front. At the front desk of the middle row sat a blonde girl, who stood out because she was wearing a traditional kimono instead of the school uniform. At the desk on the blonde's left side was a boy with a puppet in his hand. The second desk of the row closest to the door side sat a pair of girls. One girl had long, purple hair and on her left sat a girl with short, brown hair.  
Then her gaze drifted to the back of the room, where a lonely figure, clothed in a dark grey hoody, sat at last the desk in the middle row. Rin couldn't decide whatever that person was a girl or a boy and she of all people knew better than to judge by appearance alone despite the trousers indicating for a male student. She herself was a girl, but was hiding under the illusion of a male teenager.  
Lastly, her eyes landed on a trio occupying the third and fourth desk of the row farthest from the door. The boy at the fourth desk had short, stubby hair and wore glasses. In front of him were another two boys. The one sitting on the door side of the desk had brown hair with a blonde streak in the middle and his desk neighbour had pink hair.  
"_Pink's a pretty odd hair colour, but I feel like I've seen them before_", Rin mused silently. She had barely finished the thought, when she felt a barely noticeable pulse from her sword causing her to be hit by realization. If she had been alone, she would have burst into laughter at her lack of immediate recognition. Well, she certainly had interesting classmates.

"If you're done standing there like a lost child, please take a seat so I can start my classes, **Okumura-kun**", Yukio said cutting through her musings. Yes, she would definitively get a lecture from him later and she was not looking forward to it.  
However, she didn't retort. She simply walked to the third desk of the middle row, which meant she had the blonde-streaked boy on her left side. Sitting down, she adjusted her sword to lie diagonally across her back instead of hanging off one shoulder. That way she didn't have to worry about accidently dropping it. She almost jumped, when Mephisto jumped onto her lap. She had completely forgotten him.  
"Only eight people?" Rin muttered under her breath, but the dog heard it anyway.  
"Well, we're always short on numbers, you see. This is actually a relatively large class", Mephisto replied. Rin raised her eyebrows. If **this** was a large class, she didn't want to see a small class. Yukio chose this moment to clear his throat in order to get everyone's attention.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Okumura Yukio and I will be teaching you in anti-demon pharmacology", Yukio introduced himself. Rin saw the blonde girl two desks ahead of her shoot her a curious glance. Rin assumed she was wondering about their identical family names.  
"Now, as I'm sure you can see, I am the same age as all of you", Yukio continued. "This will be my first year lecturing. However, unlike you, I've been studying exorcism since I was seven and finished my studies two years ago. As such, in the context of your exorcism studies, I would like you to call me 'sensei'."  
Rin blinked at first before she remembered that Mephisto had told her about her brother's exorcist career before she had taken her nap during the car ride. Yes, this was going to be a very interesting time indeed. She kind of felt bad for it, but she wanted to wipe that polite grin of her brother's face, but that would have to wait. First, she had to get familiar with her new situation and surroundings. She snapped out of her thoughts just in time to hear Yukio's question.

"Now, how many of you have never sustained a Mashō? Raise your hand", Yukio said.  
"Mashō?" Rin whispered with fake confusion.  
"Mashō refers to wounds or illnesses inflicted by demons. Once a person sustains a Mashō, they become able to see demons for the rest of their lives. As such it is a rite that every aspiring exorcist has to go through", Mephisto explained. Rin nodded to show that she had understood and raised her hand, while looking around to see, who else had raised their hand. The blonde-streaked boy, the student with the hoody and the brown-haired girl had their hands up.  
"Four of you…. Well, then, I think we should begin the first lesson by covering the Mashō Rite", Yukio announced. He then proceeded to explain about the classroom actually being not in general use, instead being a home to a type of demons known as 'Goblins'. He also explained what kind of demons they were. He was going to draw out some of them and have them help them with their rite.  
While he was setting everything up, he asked the students to push the desks to the back of the room to avoid major damage. After a few minutes everything was ready and the four students, who needed to go through the rite, were called to the front. The others were to wait at the back. Yukio waited for everyone to take their place, before he used the milk-blood mixture to draw out the Goblins.  
They didn't have to wait long. Rin tensed immediately resisting the urge to draw her sword when she saw the first Goblin appear. At least they were small Goblins. Knowing Yukio wouldn't let them harm the students seriously, she forced herself to relax. No good would come of it, if she lost control over herself this early in the game.

Mephisto was carefully watching from the back of the classroom. He had seen Rin's tensing. He wondered, if she had sensed the presence of the demons. He stored this information into the back of his head for later use. Again, he had all the time to get answers. There was no need to rush and spoil all the fun.

In the meantime, Yukio handed each of the four students a small portion of the milk-blood mixture, while more Goblins were appearing. It didn't take long until the Goblins targeted it trying to get a taste of it. Since they were only focused on getting to that sweet, alluring scent, they ignored pretty much everything. The results were a few painful scratches for the students.  
Yukio then told them to drop the bowls and back up, which they did. Once the Goblins had finished their treat, they retreated. Yukio then instructed the students, who had watched the rite, to put the desks back into their previous places, while he treated the scratches.

After fifteen minutes, everything was back in place and all students sat at their respective desks. Rin decided to drone out the rest of Yukio's lesson as he was mainly telling what to expect in his classes for the next few weeks. After that, the lesson concluded and the students were dismissed.  
"Please stay behind, Okumura-kun", Yukio called while everyone was packing up. Rin groaned knowing what was to come. She trudged towards the teacher's desk watching as the other students vacated the room. A ghastly silence ensued after the door closed.  
"Why were you late, Nī-san? On your very first day to your very first lesson?" Yukio asked with a slightly threatening undertone.  
"I forgot the time", Rin replied meekly. She wasn't about to tell her brother that she hadn't paid attention and that Mephisto had most likely made her be late on purpose. Yukio sighed heavily wishing his sibling would be more responsible.  
"Since it's your first day, I'll let you off with a warning, but next time there will be consequences and please do pay attention", said the younger twin pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"Whatever, spotty four-eyes", Rin replied slightly annoyed. Without another word she left classroom and walked down the corridor deliberately ignoring the white terrier on her heels.

* * *

I apologise for the crappy Rite scene and the fact that the story is progressing so slowly at the moment. For the first few chapters, I'm trying to stick to the Manga canon without copying it since there are some events I really like and want to incorporate into the story. At the moment I know for sure, that I'll write the Exwire exam and at one point they will take a trip to Kyoto. If there's a part you want to see, just tell me and I'll see if and how I can include it.  
Also, I will start to reveal Rin's secrets, even though you can probably guess most of them already, next chapter so that I can get started on developing romance between the characters. I'm trying to keep romance and adventure/mystery even, though I'm probably failing XD"

**Oh, and here's a question for you. It won't influence my plans for this story, if you chose to give me an answer, which you don't have to do necessarily, but I'm curious what your thoughts about it are: What's the deal with Kurikara?**

Tatsu out.


	3. Exwire Exam

Well, here's the next chapter.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Ao no Exorcist. All characters (except of course for possible OCs) belong to _Katō Kazue._

_Warnings:_ This story will be Shima Renzō x female Okumura Rin. It _might_ develop into a Shima brothers x Rin depending on what my mind decides to cook up. **In this story Rin is smart and knows how to control her powers, so beware of possible Mary Sue!** I'll try to avoid turning Rin into a Mary Sue, but I'm warning you anyway in case I fail. I don't really like Yukio, but I'll try to refrain from bashing him. Can't guarantee anything, though. Oh, and no Beta. And last, but not least, beware of OoC! So read at your own risk. If you don't like any of them, then **press the back button. NOW!**

"Speaking"  
"_Thoughts_"  
"**Demon Telepathy**"

Enjoy.

Oh, and before I froget it. In order for this chapter to work I switched Rin and Yukio's blood group. So Rin got 0 negative in this story.

* * *

_**Exwire Exam**_

* * *

"…ra …mura … mura! …kumura! … OKUMURA!"  
Rin flinched at the sudden yell. Her eyes darted immediately to the source of distraction. Neuhaus looked at her with a raised eyebrow and expectant eyes. She could only blink in response, as her brain was still busy processing what was going on.  
"Spacing out in class should not become a habit. Next time, you'll be given detention", Neuhaus reprimanded her. "Now, proceed with the test. You're the only one, who hasn't yet."  
Again, Rin could only blink stupidly. Then she noticed two fox spirits next to Izumo and a Greenman on Shiemi's head. She could also smell faint traces of blood from several people. Additionally, everyone was starring at her, either with annoyance, expectation or boredom.  
"Well?" Neuhaus demanded. Rin merely nodded. She started to act on routine, since her brain was still foggy and had trouble returning to reality. She brought her left hand to her mouth and bit down hard enough to draw blood from her thumb. She watched as her thumb moved to the paper with the seal and smeared the blood across it. She felt detached and trance-like.  
"I invoke the wolf deity's aid, thine envoy's guidance is required, thou shalt deliver radiant harmony", Rin spoke, though she didn't feel like it was her voice. The wind around her picked up and suddenly her mind seemed to do a jump-start. But by the time she realized, what she had done, it was already too late.

A relatively large wolf stood beside her. The fur was white as snow with the exception of three markings. Two black lines extended horizontal from right beneath the eyes on each side of its muzzle growing thicker until they ended beneath its ears. The third mark was a black eight-pointed star in the centre of its forehead.  
Rin cursed herself mentally for her slip up. Luckily, the wolf was one of her closest familiars. There was no need to worry about him letting something slip. Hopefully, everyone would think of it as nothing more than coincidence. With a subtle nod, she dismissed him. To everyone else, it looked like he merely didn't wish to stick around for a contract as he vanished into thin air.  
"Well, I'm impressed. Wolf spirits aren't easy to summon and even a successful first summon doesn't necessarily result in a contract as we have just seen. They are very particular, when it comes to entering a contract. Therefore, anyone hardly bothers trying to make one into a familiar", Neuhaus explained seeing the confused faces of his students.  
To Rin's luck, the bell rung right after he had finished his sentence signalling the end of the lesson. She made a run for the door before the bell even fell silent. The girl had no desire to be questioned about what had happened. She could only hope that her classmates would forget about it soon. It was doubtful that Neuhaus would forget, but she could avoid him more easily than her classmates.

* * *

"How are they doing?" Shirō asked sitting in front of Mephisto's desk. Both of them had a cup of tea in their hands. Mephisto took a sip of his tea before he answered.  
"So far, there haven't been any major incidents. There were two curious occurrences, though", the demon said. Shirō merely raised an eyebrow asking for him to be more specific.  
"While no contract resulted out of it, Rin-kun managed to summon a wolf spirit, when they tested their talent as Tamers. Additionally, he managed to subdue a Leaper", Mephisto clarified and elaborated the incident that had taken place during PE last week. Shirō could only shake his had at Rin's habit of getting into fights.  
"I wonder how much longer his powers can be supressed", sighed the exorcist.  
"Indeed. It might be a sign, but so far there haven't been any other signs. I think we're in the clear for now", Mephisto responded. He would have to keep a closer eye on Rin. He would ask the teachers to give him regular reports later. No need to limit the kid's freedom if it wasn't strictly necessary.  
Now that they had gotten the serious business out of the way, Mephisto continued to tell Shirō about his two adoptive sons. Rin's choice of lodging and the strained relationship the twins seemed to have were only two of the many topics they discussed.

* * *

Rin was panicking. She didn't know why exactly, but she was freaking out. At least internally. On the outside, the only sigh of something being wrong was her unfocused gaze. One of her classmates had been injured by a ghoul, yesterday.  
Today, Yukio had given them collective punishment for a fight between Izumo and Ryūji and had left them alone. Then, a blackout had happened and the ghoul from yesterday and an additional one had attacked. Shiemi's Greenman had protected with a root barrier, but by then Rin had already started having a panic attack. The fact, that she picked up the scent of people, who weren't even present, didn't help either.  
In the meantime, Ryūji and Konekomaru had started to recite, while Shima had readied his K'rik in case the ghouls managed to penetrate the root barrier. Unfortunately, the barrier collapsed shortly before Ryūji started to recite the last chapter. Konekomaru shouted in worry as Shiemi collapsed.

A sudden pain laced shout caught the attention of Rin's panic induced mind. Her head immediately snapped towards the source. Blood. Blood was being spilled. The blood of a human. The moment the scent hit her nose, her reflexes kicked in. It was like a switch had been turned over. Her mind shut momentarily down and her body went into autopilot.  
A summoning incantation spilled from her lips as she leapt forward. The same wolf from a few days ago appeared and immediately went for one of the ghouls. Only seconds later, Rin wrapped her left arm around Renzō's waist, while her right hand went for the K'rik that was threatening to fall out of his limp hands.  
Wrapping her hand tightly around the K'rik, she gave it a hard flick and managed to get the ghoul's shoulder. Unfortunately, that didn't do much damage. The ghoul swung his left arms towards and she barely managed to block it with the K'rik. It would be so much easier if she could use her sword, but drawing her sword was only to be done as a last resort.  
Both she and her wolf had troubles with their ghouls. The small room didn't allow for her familiar to use his fighting style to its fullest and she had a barely conscious teenager in her arms. All they could do was to block the ghouls' attacks and do their best to prevent them from getting close to chanting Aria.  
Suddenly, the ghouls disintegrated. Ryūji had finally hit their fatal verse. With short sigh of relieve, Rin let the K'rik fall to the floor and lowered the by now unconscious teen onto the floor as her familiar joined her with a large bag.

Ryūji and Konekomaru were immediately by their side, while Izumo looked after Shiemi, who at least had regained conscious. However, Rin paid none of them any attention. Her gaze was fixed on the blood pooling out of Renzō's abdomen. She had to do something and fast.  
"Kazuki", she addressed the wolf while she pressed her hands onto the wound to minimize the blood flow. A poof resounded and instead of a wolf, a young man with the same white hair and black markings on his face stood in the wolf's place. He opened the bag and put it right next to Rin, so that it was between the two of them.  
Rin promptly went to work on applying a compression bandage, while Kazuki opted to inject an antidote for the ghoul's miasma. Rin worked as swiftly as she could, but the blood kept pooling out of the wound. The wound wasn't even that deep or large.  
"Rin-sama", Kazuki called. His tone told her all she needed. She already knew, but she had hoped that they could have treated the wound without such measures. Gritting her teeth together in frustration, she gave him a nodded. She continued to treat Renzō's wound and only concentrated onto that task. She didn't even feel the needle prick her.  
She barely registered the panicking Konekomaru, or Ryūji yelling at her demanding to know what she was doing. She snapped at them, telling them to let her work, without pausing in her task. She couldn't let herself be distracted. She would explain later. Right now, Renzō was her top priority. Rin's sharp voice and her sudden change in demeanour were enough to make both boys back up and let her do her work.  
After what seemed like an eternity, but had only been mere minutes, the needle left her arm. Kazuki prepared the blood bag, which was now filled with Rin's blood, to be ready for use. Next, he grabbed the K'rik and rammed it into the floor. Then he attached a hook to it, so that it could be used to hang up the blood bag later.

In the meantime, Rin had finished the compression bandage. She took a cannula, quickly inserted it into the first vein she could find and fastened it with whatever adhesive tape she could find. There was no time to be nit-picking. The clock was ticking.  
She grabbed the blood bag with her blood and connected it with the cannula. She managed to somehow attach the blood bag to the hook attached to the K'rik, using it as a pole, and opened the valve enough to set a slow infusion rate. One unit probably wasn't enough, but it might buy them some time until they could contact a teacher.  
Rin was about to ask one of her classmates to get a teacher, when suddenly loud crashing resounded within the room. Before any of the teenagers could react, the room was swarming with exorcist. All of them were teachers. One of them immediately came towards Rin and the Kyoto trio. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, before he called out some orders. She couldn't hear what he said as the exhaustion and adrenalin crash caught up with her. She started toppling over to the side as darkness enveloped and Kazuki vanished into thin air.

The teachers didn't waste any time and started tending to the students. Three of them prepared Renzō for the transfer into True Cross Hospital. They needed to be careful with the blood transfusion. It wasn't done professionally, but it was enough until they were at the hospital. Another one took care of the unconscious Rin. The remaining teachers gave the students injection to prevent any more damage through the miasma and tended to their injuries. It wasn't long until the whole group was on the way to the hospital.

* * *

I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but I'm really stuck. I know what I want to write, but no matter how I write it down, it just doesn't seem like what I want to write. So instead of holding back this chapter any longer, I decided to publish it now. I also probably totally failed with this chapter as it's not as good as the previous two. Anyway, I'll try my best to work on the next installment.

Tatsu out.


End file.
